$50 for a lifetime of anonymous internet access: too good to be true? UPDATE: Yes

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VPN4Life is a new site that is promising a lifetime of private and anonymous access to the internet through their servers for a one-time fee of $50. Their mission statement is to “free the world from ISP monitoring, government restrictions, and capitalism’s growing influence on the Internet.” Pretty bold words there, but how else are you supposed to sell the lowest tier of what appears to be a pyramid scheme?

A private VPN with unlimited bandwidth will probably run you at least $20 per month. Torrentfreak asked one VPN provider and found that the reason for that is simply that passing all that traffic requires purchasing a certain amount of dedicated bandwidth. For a decent speed line, that’ll run from $10 to $20 a month. So how is VPN4Life planning on providing unlimited anonymized data service for a flat one-time fee? No matter how many people sign up, their investment in the service is eaten up by cost in a matter of months. And unfortunately, it’s likely that the people who are most likely to want a VPN service are also the most likely to check into it, as it’s hardly a product for your average Joe Six-Packet.

Is it possible they know something we don’t about the sustainability of their business? Given the simple fact of the cost of their service and their pricing model, it would have to be a pretty big secret. Of course, if you get in on the ground floor, you might just get your money’s worth, especially if you take advantage of the $29 limited offer that’s good for the next 50 people or so. You may be party to a new generation of internet fraud, but I’m guessing it won’t be the first time.

UPDATE: Apparently they just send you a free VPN tool. Avoid. If you paid, you can get your money back however. A much simpler scam than we first thought!